


Aloha Au Ia 'Oe

by sgflutegirl



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Community: smallfandomfest, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-26
Updated: 2011-06-30
Packaged: 2017-10-20 17:51:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/215480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgflutegirl/pseuds/sgflutegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Danny's birthday and Steve has a surprise planned, but when Steve is seriously injured protecting Grace, will their lives ever be the same?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: 'Steve & or/Danny, Steve is seriously injured protecting Grace' at smallfandomfest and the prompt 'Stabbed/Shot' on my 10_hurt_comfort table, located [here](http://sgflutegirl.livejournal.com/289344.html).
> 
> This is a follow up to [How 'Bout That Shower?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/204620). I recommend reading that fic first, but it isn't necessary to understand what's going on here. Takes place post Season 1. The fic is complete, so it'll be updated regularly.
> 
> Beta'd by shadowintime.

“Daddy!” Grace yelled as she ran toward him. He was standing in the doorway of Rachel’s new house.

“Hey, Monkey! Ready to go?” He bent down and hugged her.

“Yeah, daddy. I can’t wait!”

He looked at Rachel. She was leaning against the door. With the pregnancy, she was getting tired easily.

“We still doing lunch on Sunday?”

“Of course, Daniel. It’s your birthday. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said with a smile.

Danny hugged Rachel and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Rach.”

“Good night, Daniel.”

He picked up Grace’s bag and they walked together to the car. Once she was safely buckled into the backseat, Danny got in, started the car, and they headed to the house.

“We’re still going to the Marketplace tomorrow, right?”

“Of course we are. I think your Uncle Steve is looking forward to it.”

Grace giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” She bit her lip and smiled at him.

He saw her through the rear view mirror and smiled. He knew something was up. He was pretty sure that Steve and Grace were planning something for his birthday, but neither had mentioned anything. It took all his willpower not to ask either of them about it once they got home.

Steve was waiting in the front doorway when they pulled up. Once Danny helped her out of the car, she ran to him. He scooped her up in his arms.

“Uncle Steve!” Then she leaned into his ear. “I can’t wait till tomorrow.”

Steve whispered, “I can’t either, Gracie.”

“What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, nothing,” Steve and Grace said simultaneously.

“Uh huh, sure.” Danny couldn’t help but smile at the two loves of his life.

\------------------------------

“Wake up, Danno!” Grace yelled as she jumped on the bed next to her father.

Danny startled awake. “Huh? What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“Happy birthday, Danno!”

Danny looked up and saw Steve standing at the foot of the bed with a tray of food.

“Thank you, Monkey.” He hugged Grace and then looked back up at Steve.

“Breakfast in bed? Really?”

“Well, it’s your first birthday since… well, everything… so I wanted it to be special.”

Danny grinned. “So are you going to join me, you big goof?”

Steve sat the tray across Danny’s lap. “Well, Gracie and I have already eaten.”

“What?”

“This is your day. Just go with it. Alright?”

“I’ll stay with you, daddy. Uncle Steve has something he needs to do before we leave.”

Danny didn’t know what was going on, but he went with it. “This abuse better be worth it!” he yelled after Steve left the room. He then looked over at Grace.

“You aren’t going to tell me what’s going on are you?”

“Nope.” She giggled.

When he was done eating, Grace grabbed the tray and said, “Now go get ready, we don’t have all day.”

If it had been anyone else, he would have gone off on one of his famous rants. Instead he just watched her leave the room and thought, _This better be good, Steven._ He grabbed some clothes out of the closet and went to take a shower.

\------------------------------

They arrived at the International Marketplace at around 10am. Once they were out of the car, Grace ran ahead. She already knew where she wanted to go first.

“Gracie, slow down. Wait for us.”

She had already reached the small gift shop near the edge of the Marketplace, so she stopped and waited for them to catch up.

“I want to go in here first.”

Danny looked in the front window. It was a gift shop that looked to him like one of those places tourists went to find “I Love Hawaii” memorabilia.

“You sure?”

“Yes, daddy, but you can’t come.”

Danny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Grace, what do you mean I can’t come?”

Steve stepped in. “Gracie, stay here while I talk to your dad.”

She nodded okay, so he pulled Danny aside.

“She wants to surprise you for your birthday, but she wasn’t able to get over here before now. I told her I’d go in with her.”

“Ah, okay. Just don’t let her go overboard.”

They walked back over to where Grace was waiting. Danny looked down at her and said, “Okay, Monkey. I’ll get us something to drink and sit on that bench over there.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“We’ll be back before you know it.” Steve gave Danny one of his goofy grins. Danny punched him in the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“That’s for all the covert ops you have my daughter involved in.”

“Hey, this was all her idea. I’m just along for the ride.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He turned and walked toward one of the drink carts.

\------------------------------

Steve and Grace walked into the gift shop. Grace headed off to the last aisle on the left and disappeared toward the back. It wasn’t a very big shop so Steve let her go. Steve went to the right, toward a rack that held numerous key chains and little trinkets. The only other person in the store was the clerk behind the counter.

He spun the rack until one key chain caught his eye. This is perfect, he thought. He pulled it off the rack and held it in the palm of his hand. It was then he noticed the door open and two more people walked into the shop.

They were young, and were dressed a little warmly for the weather. They looked Samoan. They were setting off alarm bells in Steve’s head. He continued to look at the rack while he kept an eye on the two men. One of them had walked up to the counter and the other was standing between the counter and Steve.

He looked toward the counter and caught a glimpse of the barrel of a gun. Instinctively, Steve reached down to where his gun normally was holstered, but of course, neither it nor his badge was there. At one time, he may have tried to intervene, but he had Grace to worry about. He couldn’t risk anything happening to her. So, he turned slowly to his left, away from the counter and the thugs, and headed to the end of the first aisle. He didn’t want to move to fast and spook the guys.

Steve froze almost immediately as he saw Grace run up to the front of the aisle. She was excited and hadn’t even noticed the other men in the store.

“Uncle Steve! I found the perfect thing.”

Without even thinking, Steve ran toward her. He had intended to scoop her up and head back down the aisle out of sight of the two thugs, but he hadn’t counted on the second thug getting spooked. Just as Steve had started to move, the guy raised his gun and shot. The bullet caught Steve in the back on his right side. His momentum plus the force of the bullet hitting him propelled Steve into Grace. They both fell hard to the floor, Steve landing on top of Grace, and her head hitting the floor. Neither one of them moved after that.

There were some nasty words exchanged between the thugs before they ran out the front door. The clerk had already pressed the silent alarm behind the counter and was in the process of calling 911 as he ran over to the two victims.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The day started out so good. I almost felt bad about ruining it. Well, the medical type stuff starts here. More to come.

Danny was sitting on the bench waiting for Steve and Grace to finish up their little covert shopping expedition when he swore he heard a gunshot coming from that direction. He stood and turned in that direction, just as two men ran out of the shop and around the corner. He half expected to see Steve run after, but no one did. He dropped the drink he was holding and ran toward the store. What he saw when he entered would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Steve was lying on his stomach half on top of Grace. Grace was lying on her back, but all Danny could see of her was the side of her face and her left arm. Steve’s face was turned toward her and his head was resting on her right shoulder. His right arm was draped across her. Her head was turned away from him. Neither was conscious.

Danny hadn’t noticed the man that was sitting on the other side of them. The clerk was currently leaning over both of them, pressing cloth to Steve’s back. The man heard the door open and looked up. He didn’t get a chance to say anything.

“Grace! Steve!” He ran over and dropped down next to them.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. The one guy was going to shoot the little girl. He put himself between her and the bullet. I already called 911.”

Danny leaned over Grace. Her pulse was strong, but she had yet to regain consciousness.

“Grace, can you hear me? Wake up, baby.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, but didn’t want to shake her. He didn’t know what injuries she might have.

Suddenly, she took a deep breath and started coughing. Danny wanted nothing more than to pick her up and hold her, but without knowing the severity of both of their injuries, he didn’t want to move either one. He put his hand on her forehead and brushed strands of hair off her face. Once she had stopped coughing, she settled down. She never opened her eyes, so he couldn’t tell if she’d actually woken or not. The whole time this was going on, he kept an eye on Steve, hoping for some change. Unfortunately, it just made him worry more. He could now hear Steve’s ragged breathing.

“I think his lung collapsed,” the clerk said. He continued to keep pressure on the wound.

Danny grasped Steve’s hand. “Damnit, Steve. I can’t lose you.”

At some point during her coughing fit, the police and paramedics arrived on the scene. They rushed in and began caring for both victims.

Danny was in a daze. He was scared to death. Steve had been shot and was bleeding. Grace was unconscious, probably a concussion. The paramedics had practically pushed him out of the way so they could get to Grace.

“Detective?”

“Huh? Sorry? How are they?”

“We’re ready to take them to the hospital now. You can ride with your daughter.”

Danny was finally able to see what was going on. They were wheeling Steve out on a gurney already and had just put Grace onto one. He followed as they wheeled her into another ambulance. He stepped in behind them and the doors closed.

When the sirens started, Grace began to stir again. This time she opened her eyes. At first she didn’t understand what was going on, so she began to cry.

“Daddy? Daddy?”

Danny grabbed her hand. “I’m here Monkey.”

The paramedic then asked her, “Hi Grace, I’m James. Can you tell me what hurts?”

“My head, and my arm, and my back.” She continued sobbing, and had her hand clinched around Danny’s.

“Okay, well we’ll be at the hospital soon and they’ll fix you right up.”

“Mm hmm… Daddy, where’s Uncle Steve?”

“He was hurt too. He’s in another ambulance on the way to the hospital.” He got a little choked up when he said it.

“Is he gonna be okay?”

“I hope so, sweetie. I just… I don’t know.”

“He will be…” She smiled tiredly.

They soon pulled into the ambulance bay at the hospital. Danny was able to follow as far as the waiting room. He hated waiting, and this was doubly worse.

\------------------------------

 _“Hello?”_

“Rachel…”

 _“Daniel? What’s wrong?”_

“I’m at the hospital. Grace and Steve…” He nearly lost his composure at the mention of their names.

 _“Oh God! What happened to Grace? How is she? Steve?”_

“Grace is going to be okay. They think she has a concussion. Steve… I don’t know.”

 _“I’m on my way.”_

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

They hung up. He then dialed Chin’s number and told him what had happened. Chin told him that he’d call Kono and the new Governor. They’d get there as soon as they could. After hanging up, he leaned his head back against the wall and waited.

Fifteen minutes later, Rachel came running into the waiting room. She found Danny sitting in one of the chairs with his elbows on his knees and his head down.

“Daniel.”

He looked up and saw her. He stood as she approached and they hugged.

“Have you heard anything?”

“Not yet. I didn’t want to leave her. She woke up in the ambulance and was hurting. I felt so helpless, because I couldn’t do anything to help her. She actually ended up reassuring me that Steve would be okay.”

Kono and Chin walked in while they were talking. They all exchanged hugs and reassurances, and then all sat and hoped that someone would come soon and tell them something. It had been about an hour since Grace had been wheeled through the double doors.

\------------------------------

“Families of Grace Williams and Steven McGarrett?”

The entire group stood up. Danny stepped in front of the group. “How are they?”

“Grace is going to be fine. She has a mild concussion from the fall. She has some bruising on her back, so she’ll be sore. She also has a hairline fracture of her right radius, which is the forearm bone on the thumb side of the arm. We’ve put a cast on, and luckily, since it wasn’t severe, she shouldn’t have to keep it for more than a few weeks.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of her. When can we see her?”

“They are moving her to a room now. I’ll send a nurse once she’s settled.”

“What about Steve?”

“As you know, he was shot in the back. The bullet penetrated his right lung and stopped just short of the fifth rib. I know that they had to insert a chest tube, likely because of the collapsed lung. He’s in surgery right now to remove the bullet and repair the damage. Someone will come and let you know as soon as he is out.”

Danny couldn’t speak. It was Chin that finally spoke.

“Thank you, doctor. Please let us know something as soon as you can.”

“I’m not sure how long the surgery will take, but someone will definitely be here as soon as they are able. I need to go and check on Grace, and then I’ll let you in to see her. I want to keep her overnight because of the concussion, but I should be able to release her tomorrow morning, barring any complications.”

Rachel spoke this time. “Thank you.”

Danny was the quietest any of the others had ever seen him. He was relieved that Grace was going to be okay, but wished she hadn’t been through what had happened. He was scared and worried about Steve. This wasn’t like the time he fell and broke his arm. This was a potentially fatal injury, and Danny couldn’t get past that fact.

Somehow, he had gotten back over to one of the chairs. Rachel had her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. Chin was seated to his right side, with Kono nearly in tears on his other side.

Ten minutes passed before a nurse came into the waiting room.

“Grace is ready for visitors. If you’ll just follow me.”

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally find out how Steve is. Lots of medical type stuff in this chapter. I want to thank lynnrxgal for the info on gunshot wounds and treatment. I may have taken some artistic license with some of it, but I tried to be as acurate as I could.
> 
> Also, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and kudos. For some reason, it's not letting me reply to them.

The nurse opened the door to Grace’s room and Rachel and Danny followed her in. Grace was lying in the bed with her eyes closed. When she heard them walk in, though, she turned her head in their direction and opened her eyes.

“Mommy… daddy…” she said quietly.

“Oh Grace. How are you feeling, sweetie?” Danny and Rachel took seats on either side of her bed.

“My head hurts, but it’s not that bad.” She then held up her right arm. “Look, they gave me a pink cast.”

“It’s very pretty, right Daniel?”

“Um… yeah, it’s really pretty.”

At his uncharacteristic answer, Grace turned to him and asked, “What’s wrong, daddy? Where’s Uncle Steve?”

Danny hesitated, and then asked, “Baby, what’s the last thing you remember before waking up on the ambulance?”

“I was looking for something for your birthday, and when I found it, I jumped up and ran to find Uncle Steve. Then I was on the ambulance. Did something bad happen to him?”

He breathed a sigh of relief, because that meant that she didn’t remember the shot and the fall. He hoped that she’d never remember. He really didn’t want her to have to deal with the mental trauma that could cause.

He wanted to answer her, assure her that everything would be fine, but he couldn’t find the words. He looked over at Rachel, who immediately saw his distress.

“Sweetie, he got hurt too. The doctors are taking care of him right now.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

Rachel and Danny exchanged another look. Neither one of them really knew what to say.

“We don’t know yet.”

That’s when the tears started to fall. Grace had been trying to hold them back.

“He got hurt because of me.” She was openly sobbing.

Both her parents reached for her. She pulled herself up into a seated position, not caring how much it hurt. She just wanted to be held. They both put their arms around her, and gently held her while she cried.

“He didn’t get hurt because of you, Monkey.” He stopped and tried to decide how much he should tell her. “Um… there was a bad man in the store. He’s the one that hurt Steve.” He took in a shuddering breath.

Grace’s only reply was a small nod of her head. She eventually cried herself to sleep. Rachel let go of her and Danny laid her back down on the pillow. Rachel pulled the blanket up to cover her. They then exchanged a look.

Rachel could see that Danny was extremely close to losing his composure. She picked her chair up and moved it next to him.

“I can’t lose him. We fought so hard to get to where we are, and I just…”

Rachel put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. “I know, and I wish I could tell you that everything was going to be okay.”

What little composure he had left crumbled as he began to cry. He buried his face against her shoulder, and she held him, gently rubbing circles on his back.

\------------------------------

Chin and Kono had been sitting in the waiting room for about an hour after Danny and Rachel had left when a doctor walked through the double doors.

“Family of Steven McGarrett?”

They both stood and walked toward him.

“I’m Dr. Morgan. We’ve just moved him into recovery. We’ll be moving him to the ICU shortly. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you to the ICU waiting room. It’s a little more private.”

It worried them both that he wasn’t telling them about Steve’s condition, but privacy felt like a good idea, so they followed. Chin texted Danny, letting him know that Steve was out of surgery, and where to meet them. He didn’t want to disturb Grace if she was sleeping.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes to fill you in on Commander McGarrett’s condition.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Chin said.

“It really worries me that he didn’t tell us anymore about Steve’s condition,” Kono said quietly.

“Same here, cuz.”

Chin’s phone buzzed. He read the short message from Danny, and then stuck it back in his pocket.

“Danny’s on his way.”

\------------------------------

Danny walked into the small waiting room outside the ICU. Chin and Kono were the only other people in the room. He walked over to where they were sitting.

“What did the doctor say?”

“Nothing yet. He said he’d be back in a few minutes.”

“How’s Grace?” Kono asked.

“She’s gonna be okay. She doesn’t remember what happened, which I’m glad for, but she was blaming herself for Steve getting hurt. She cried herself to sleep.”

They could both see how lost he was. Kono reached over and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned into the hug.

“Thanks. I don’t think I’d be able to handle this without you guys here.”

“Where else would we be brah? We’re ohana.” Chin put his arm across Danny’s shoulders as he said it.

The door leading to the ICU opened and Dr. Morgan walked into the room. They all stood and walked toward him. Danny was anxious for any word on Steve’s condition. He introduced himself.

“Hello, Doctor, I’m Danny Williams. Steve is my partner. How is he?”

“Why don’t we all sit down?” He motioned with his hand toward the chairs.

After sitting down, Danny continued, “Please, how is he?”

“He’s stable, but critical. As you know, he suffered a gunshot wound to the back. The bullet punctured his lung and stopped just short of his fifth rib. There was some minor fragmentation of the bullet, but we were able to get everything. We had to insert a chest tube because the lung had collapsed, and there was bleeding into the chest cavity. He lost a lot of blood, and his blood pressure dropped drastically while we were working on him. We transfused him and were able to repair the damage. Right now, we’re watching his blood pressure closely. It still isn’t quite up as high as we’d like, but it’s a definite improvement.”

He stopped for a moment, to make sure they were following him okay, and then he continued.

“He was having some difficulty breathing on his own with the trauma, so we’ve sedated him and put him on a ventilator. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to wean him off in a couple of days. It will also allow the wounds to heal without being aggravated.”

Danny’s throat went dry as he was listening. He had to clear his throat in order to speak.

“Can we see him?”

“Yes, but I’ll only allow one visitor at a time for now.”

Both Chin and Kono looked at Danny. They each nodded to the other, and Danny stood up to follow the doctor. He turned back to them as he reached the door.

“Call Jenna. She needs to know.”

“Will do, brah.

Danny disappeared through the door.

Kono stood up and headed for the other door. “I’m gonna go see Grace, and let Rachel know what’s going on.”

“Sounds good, cuz. I’ve got a few phone calls to make.”

Kono walked through the door and closed it behind her. Chin was left alone in the small room. He pulled out his phone and called the fourth number on his speed dial.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danny finally gets to see Steve, Jenna enters the picture, and we finally find out about the new Governor.
> 
> Thanks again for the reviews and kudos. Still can't reply. :(

Jenna had just finished packing up the last box. She would be heading back to Hawaii early the following afternoon. She didn’t really have that much in her small apartment in Virginia, so it hadn’t taken much to pack it all up and have it shipped.

She missed Hawaii, and the new family she had found there. She’d been gone for almost a month, and she couldn’t wait to get back. Steve had offered her a position on the newly reformed Five-0 and she had accepted without hesitation. She just had a few things to square away back home.

When her phone rang, it took her a few moments to find it.

“Hi, Chin!”

 _“Hello, Jenna.”_

She could immediately tell something was wrong.

“Something’s happened, hasn’t it? What’s going on?”

 _“There’s been an incident. Steve and Grace are in the hospital.”_

“Oh my God! Are they okay?”

 _“Grace has a concussion, but she’ll be fine. Steve’s stable, but in the ICU. The doctor is hopeful.”_

“I wish I was there now. My plane leaves tomorrow at one. How’s Danny? Do you know how it happened? Who did it?”

 _“Danny’s having a hard time. I’m glad that the rest of us were here, and Rachel. He just went in to see Steve.” He stopped for a second to clear his thoughts. “My next call is to HPD. They’re handling things right now.”_

“I’m going to try and move my flight up. I’ll let you know. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

 _“One of us will be there to pick you up.”_

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll catch a cab. You should all…”

 _“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re one of us now.”_

She blushed. She’d never really been a part of a team such as this. It felt good. “Thanks. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

After they hung up, she called the airline. She crossed her fingers that there was an earlier flight.

\------------------------------

Danny followed Dr. Morgan into the ICU. When they walked into the small room, Danny gasped. Even with the doctor telling him what to expect, he wasn’t fully prepared for what he saw.

Steve looked extremely pale and vulnerable. With all the machinery around the bed, he looked small and defenseless. Danny went straight to the chair beside the bed and sat down. He was worried his knees would give out if he didn’t.

Dr. Morgan checked the readouts on the machines, wrote something on the chart, and then turned to Danny.

“He’s doing good, considering. I’ll be back in awhile to check on him. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Danny nodded and looked back at Steve. He waited till the doctor had left and they were alone before he started talking.

“What am I going to do with you, huh? Always throwing yourself into life threatening situations. If it weren’t for the fact that you saved Grace, I’d totally kick your ass.”

He paused, leaned back in the chair, and ran his hands through his hair.

“The doctor says that you are doing better, but to tell you the truth, you look like crap. You look worse than when you were… Babe, I can’t… I won’t lose you. After everything, I don’t think I could go on without you. I need you. So you better hurry and wake up, or I will kick your ass.”

He sat back again, and didn’t say anything for awhile. He just watched and listened.

“Grace is going to be okay. She’s got a concussion, a broken arm, and some bruising. She thinks that you got hurt because of her. I tried to tell her that wasn’t true, but she’s a lot like me, so you know what that means. So, again, babe, you gotta wake up soon so you can tell her yourself.”

At some point while he was talking, Danny had picked up Steve’s hand and placed it in his. He sat that way for some time. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. Not when he didn’t have anything to respond to. So he sat, and eventually fell asleep.

\------------------------------

Kono opened the door to Grace’s hospital room. Grace was asleep, so she walked in quietly and pulled the door to behind her. Rachel motioned for Kono to join her.

“Hi, Rachel. How is she?”

“She’s tired, and sore. The doctor came in a few minutes ago just to check on her. He said she was doing very well, and she should be fine to go home in the morning.”

“That’s good. How’s she handling what happened? Danny said she blamed herself.”

Rachel took a deep breath before speaking.

“She doesn’t remember what happened, but she thinks it’s her fault. No matter what we tell her… I don’t think she’ll believe it until Steve can tell her himself.”

“Danny’s with him now. He’s in the ICU. The doctor says he’s hopeful. It’s going to take some time.”

“How is Danny doing?”

“He’s…"

“Auntie Kono?”

“Hi, Gracie.”

“How’s Uncle Steve?”

Kono hesitated. “The doctor’s are taking extra special care of him. Your daddy is with him right now.”

“Can I see him?”

Rachel was quick to answer. “Not right now, sweetie. You’ve got to get better first.”

“Yeah, you need to get better, so you can be nice and strong for him. Can you do that?”

“I think so.”

There was a knock on the door, and Chin opened the door.

“Hey, cuz, I need to talk to you.”

“Hi, Uncle Chin.” Grace waved to him.

“Hi, Grace. Mind if I borrow Auntie Kono for a few minutes?”

“Okay.” It wasn’t long before her eyes were shut again.

Kono turned to Rachel as she was leaving. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Rachel nodded to her, as she opened the door. She met Chin out in the hall.

“What’s going on?”

“Just got off the phone with HPD. They got the guys who did this.”

“Really? That was quick. Did they say what happened?”

“It was two teenagers. Samoans. They thought they could get some quick cash, and they figured a tourist trap was the best place to go. There was one witness also in the store. He was able to give a good description. Kids didn’t even know who they’d hit until HPD came down on them. Scared them to death.”

“Good. I just can’t believe this was all over a little cash.”

“Yeah, cuz. Me neither.”

They were both quiet for a moment, absorbing the information. Chin broke the silence.

“Governor Hale called. I updated him on Steve’s condition, and he wants us to take the week.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He expects you and me to be in the office on Monday morning. Jenna doesn’t officially start till then anyway. He said that Steve and Danny would have as much time as they needed. He figured it would be okay, since we didn’t have any outstanding cases.”

“I’m surprised he’s giving us that long.”

“Don’t knock it, cuz. I think he’s finally coming around. If this had happened a month ago, we’d already be back at work.”

“True. Maybe he’s finally letting some slack out of our leash.”

Chin’s phone started to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and recognized Jenna’s number.

“Hey, Jenna.”

 _“I was able to get a flight out sooner. It leaves here at 5am. Any word?”_

“Nothing yet. Just get here in one piece. One of us will pick you up.”

 _“Okay. See you then.”_

He put his phone away. “Her flight leaves at 5am, her time. One of us needs to pick her up from the airport when she gets in.”

“No problem. I’ll do it.”

“Sounds good. I’m going back down to the ICU, see if I can get in and tell Danny the news. Then I’m going to drop by HPD.”

From the look in his eyes when he said it, Kono knew exactly what he had in mind.

“Okay, I’ll be down in a little while. I’ll go with you.”

They parted ways again, and Kono sat back down next to Grace’s bed.

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, what you've all been waiting for.
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews and kudos. Y'all rock!

**Three days later**

Danny sat by Steve’s bed, waiting for him to wake up. He was breathing on his own, and had been moved from the ICU to a private room. He just needed to open his eyes for more than a couple of minutes. He had been in a lot of pain, so the painkillers the doctor prescribed were heavy duty and kept him out for long periods of time.

Danny had barely left Steve’s side. While he’d be in ICU, Danny had only left for short periods, letting the rest of their little ohana sit with him, and so he could spend time with his daughter. Grace was already home and feeling better. She hadn’t been allowed in to see Steve while he was in ICU. That soon changed.

“Daddy!”

“Hey, Monkey!” He stood and picked her up as she ran into the room. She was holding something in her left hand.

“How is he, daddy?”

“He’s getting better. He’s just sleeping right now.” He saw the flat box and folded up piece of paper in her hand. “What have you got there, Monkey?”

She handed him the paper and box and said, “Happy birthday, Daddy.”

He unfolded the paper. On it was a picture Grace had drawn of the three of them together. Grace was standing in between Danny and Steve, holding their hands. He noticed that she’d drawn Steve quite a bit taller than himself, but he didn’t say anything to her about it.

“I love it, baby. Another masterpiece. We’ll put it up on the fridge whenever we get home. For now, I’ll sit it over here.” He sat it on the table next to Steve’s bed.

Then, he pulled the top off the box. Inside was a picture frame. It was bright yellow and had animals all over it, most notably was the monkeys and seals. In the picture frame was a photo that he had taken a few weeks before. Steve was seated in one of the chairs on the beach behind his house. Grace had been building a sandcastle and when she finished, she had jumped up and run over to Steve. He pulled her into a hug. Danny took the picture after they had released the hug. They were both smiling. It was a perfect, candid moment.

Danny stared down at it for a few moments. He then pulled it out of the box and stood it up on the table next to the folded piece of paper. Then he pulled Grace into a hug.

“Thank you so much. I love it!”

“Mommy wanted me to wait till we could all be together, but I didn’t want to because it was already late. She didn’t want me to go back in that store to get it, so I told Auntie Kono…”

“Wait, what do you mean, go back in the store?”

“This was what I found for you that morning. It’s what I ran to show Uncle Steve.”

“Oh, Monkey.” He pulled her into another hug. They were interrupted by an unexpected, but not unwelcome voice.

“Gracie… Danno…”

“Uncle Steve! You’re awake! Daddy, he’s awake!”

“Yeah… what’s going on?”

“Grace was just giving me my birthday presents. She didn’t want to wait any longer, since they are already late.”

“Late? How long?”

“It’s Tuesday. It’s been the longest four days of my life.”

“Uncle Steve, look at my pretty pink cast. I shouldn’t have it for too long though.”

Steve furrowed his forehead and gave Danny a confused look. Danny held up his hand.

“Hey, Monkey, I need to talk to your Uncle Steve alone for a few minutes.”

“Okay. I’ll go wait with Auntie Kono.”

After she had left the room and the door shut behind her, Danny turned back to Steve.

“Danny?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“The gun was pointed… at her. I had to get her out of the way. The gun went off. I… I hurt her, didn’t I?”

“Don’t do that, Steven. You saved her life. If you hadn’t of run toward her, she would have… Yes, she was hurt, but it would have been much worse.”

“Is she okay?”

“She will be. She doesn’t remember what happened, and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible. She’s blaming herself for you getting hurt.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“I’ll go get her. No falling asleep while I’m gone, okay?”

“Yeah…”

Danny walked out into the hallway. Grace was sitting in a chair next to the door. Kono and Jenna were seated on the other side of her.

“Hey, guys. Where’s Chin?”

“He had to run a few errands. He should be back soon.”

“Okay. Give us a few more minutes.” He looked down at Grace. “Uncle Steve wants to talk to you about something.”

“Um… okay. Is he mad at me?”

“What? No, baby. There’s no reason for him to be mad at you. Come on.”

They walked back into Steve’s room. Steve’s eyes were closed, but as soon as he heard their footsteps, he slowly opened them.

“Hey, Gracie. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“Grace, it’s not your fault I got hurt. There were some bad people in the store and one of them hurt me.”

“You aren’t mad at me?”

“Of course not. There’s no reason for me to be mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Steve held out his left arm, and motioned for grace to come closer. She moved slowly, as she didn’t want to hurt him. Danny helped her up onto the edge of the bed, and Steve pulled her into a hug.

“I love you, Gracie.”

“I love you too, Uncle Steve.”

She climbed down off the bed and noticed Steve wince.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Danny gave him a look, and then told Grace to go get the others. When she was out of earshot, he leaned closer to Steve.

“Do I need to find the doctor?”

“I’ll be alright for a little while. I want to see everyone first.”

“Okay, but if it gets too bad…”

“Okay.”

The door opened back up and the rest of Five-0 walked in. Chin had returned and brought food back with him.

“Sorry, brah, you can’t have any.”

“That’s just cruel.”

They all laughed. None of them had been able to for days, and it felt good. Chin and Kono took turns filling Steve in on what had happened with the ‘bad people.’ Jenna talked about her trip back, and how she couldn’t sleep because she was so worried. Kono had joked that she had practically passed out once she sat down in her car. It had been awhile since they’d been able to have this kind of easy going conversation.

When Steve’s eyes started getting heavy and he was having trouble keeping them open, Chin stood suddenly, remembering the object he had in his pocket.

“Before you fall back to sleep, brah, I think this is yours.”

He pulled a keychain out of his pocket and held it up to Steve. It was shaped like a pineapple and on one side were the words _I Love Hawai’i_. Steve’s smile lit up the room.

“One of the nurses gave it to me, along with your phone. They hadn’t wanted to disturb Danny while he was in with you.”

“Actually, that’s Danny’s.”

“Huh?”

“Happy birthday, Danno.”

 **TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it, the final chapter. I was worried when I wrote this that it would be too sappy and cliche, but shadowintime assured me that it was the good kind of sappy. So, on to the fluff.
> 
> Enjoy, and thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!

True to form, by the end of the next day, Steve was asking when he would be able to leave the hospital. Dr. Morgan had made a deal with him. If Steve agreed to stop being all stoic and take his pain medicine when ordered, the doctor would release him into Danny’s care on Sunday. Steve groaned at the fact that he’d have to lay there for another four days, but had agreed.

By Friday, Steve was already up and moving around on his own. He was stiff and he still hurt, but he was determined to be independent as soon as he could. On Sunday, the doctor released him as agreed. With a prescription for painkillers, and a smile on his face, he rolled out the front door of the hospital. He hadn’t wanted to use the wheelchair, but the doctor insisted, even going as far as not letting him leave if he didn’t use it. Danny was quite amused.

Steve was so happy when they pulled into the driveway. He wanted to go swimming more than anything, but it would probably be at least another week before he would be able to. At least he was out of the hospital.

Danny was beyond relieved. Steve was still there and he was home.

“How are ya feeling, babe?”

“I’m good. A little tired.”

“Why don’t you lie down for awhile? I’ll get dinner ready?”

Steve sat down on the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

“You should go back to work tomorrow, with the others.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re stuck here, so I’m stuck here with you. You got that?”

“You don’t have to babysit me.”

“I know that. You don’t need a babysitter. How many times have I heard that one? Look, I want to be here, and since I actually have the time off, I’m taking it. So, I’m not going anywhere. Plus, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Yeah, okay...” Steve closed his eyes and was asleep before Danny could say another word.

\------------------------------

 **Three weeks later**

Steve was nervous, although he’d never admit it. He had planned the night once already, but this time seemed more important, more emotional. So much had happened, and he had come so close to losing it all.

Once he was dressed, he sat down at the kitchen table and waited for Danny to get home with Grace. He wanted the night to be just as he had originally planned it to be, but that morning, he decided that instead of going out, they’d stay in. He had spent a good part of the afternoon cooking dinner.

He sent Danny and Grace out for a “father-daughter” day, while he prepared. It wasn’t long before he heard Danny’s car pull up in the driveway.

“Hi, honey, I’m home!”

“Uncle Steve, we’re back!”

Steve laughed. He stood and met them in the living room. Grace ran to him and hugged him around the waist. He bent down and picked her up. She then whispered to him.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yeah, Gracie.”

“What are you two whispering about? You know it’s not nice to keep secrets.”

“Well then, Gracie. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

Danny followed Steve and Grace into the kitchen. The first thing he saw was the table. It was the first time he’d ever seen it set for a formal dinner. There were candles lit and flowers in the middle.

“Steve? What…”

“Take a seat. Dinner will be out shortly.”

Danny sat down. He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t had a clue this was going on. He did notice that apparently Grace knew exactly what was going on.

“Grace? Were you in on this?”

“Um…” She didn’t say anything else, but she started giggling.

It wasn’t long before Steve came to the table with a plate of garlic bread and then a pan of lasagna. He scooped some out onto each plate, placed the pan on the kitchen counter, and then sat down.

“Steven?”

“Yes, Daniel.”

“You cooked lasagna?”

“How very observant of you. Dig in.”

So he did, and he loved it. It was some of the best lasagna he’d had in a long time. Reminded him of his mother’s.

“Steven, is this my mother’s lasagna?”

“I knew they called you a detective for a reason.” He grinned. “Yes, it is. I called her earlier today and got the recipe.”

Danny didn’t know what to say. Steve had rendered him speechless. He picked his fork back up and dug in. It was really good.

“I had something similar to this planned on your birthday, but well… We were both going to give you your birthday gifts over dinner at that Italian place you like so much. After everything that happened, though, I thought this would be more meaningful.”

Steve pulled something out of his pocket, but kept it hidden from sight. He stood and walked around the table to where Danny was sitting. He then knelt down on one knee, and opened his hand, revealing a simple, silver ring.

“Daniel Williams, will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

For the second time that night, Danny was rendered speechless. That didn’t keep him from responding though. He reached out, placing his hands on Steve’s shoulders. He nodded in the affirmative and then placed his lips on Steve’s. They kissed for a few moments, until Grace couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Daddy! Steve!”

Danny and Steve pulled apart. Steve placed the ring on Danny’s finger. It fit perfectly. Danny turned around and looked at Grace.

“How long have you known about this?”

She giggled again, and then said, “Since about a week before your birthday.”

“The two of you really got me. I had no idea.”

“That was the whole point, Danno,” Steve said as he stood back up and went back to his chair.

Danny couldn’t help but smile. “You… I… I love you.”

Steve chuckled. “Is that the third time you’ve been at a loss for words tonight?”

Grace giggled again. Danny wanted to retort, but everything that came to mind he couldn’t say in front of his daughter. So, he just joined them in their laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Danny finally said, “So, we’re really doing this, huh?”

“Yep, we are. Come here, both of you.”

Grace and Danny both stood and walked over to Steve. Steve picked Grace up in his left arm, and then put his right arm across Danny’s shoulders.

“I love you, Danno, and I love you, Gracie.”

Danny moved around in front of Steve and put his arm around Grace. He hugged them both close to him.

“I love you both so much.”

They stood that way for quite awhile. Danny didn’t want to move. He had almost lost this. He couldn’t imagine a life without either of them. He vowed to himself in that moment that he never would.

 **The End**


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